We traveled west of the Mighty Mississippi last week for Macho Guy’s high school reunion. If you’re bracing yourself for a blow by blow description, you may relax. Not going there. No way. No how.

After the reunion ended, we stayed on for a family visit, mainly to help MG’s older sister in her quest to downsize from a three-bedroom split level to a one-floor condo. An additional quest involved persuading her to be more active in communicating with the rest of the family via email and on Facebook. She needed a device that was more user-friendly and more mobile than her old PC minitower so she would be more apt to use it. To that end, we [that is, I] helped her shop for and select an iPad.

That shopping trip to Best Buy was personally devastating to me. When we approached the Apple product center, I felt the stirrings of new tech lust. There on the counter were shiny new Apple devices. All models were newer and more up to date than my own. They silently mocked me while I drooled over them.

It was torture and so unfair. The iPad Air and iPad Air2 were thinner and lighter than my seemingly ancient iPad 3, but had the same size screen. Forget MG’s big sis, I wanted one for myself, but somehow I managed to get my tech lust under control. I smiled through my envy and helped my sister-in-law select the model–iPad Air or iPad Air2–that best met her needs. Drat.

The situation worsened. I foolishly allowed myself to cast my gaze upon a new MacBook. In inquiring about the new MacBook and the MacBook Air, I mentioned to the Apple Rep that I had a MacBook Pro. He responded that while Apple still makes and sells them, the MacBook Pros are older technology.

Older technology? His pronouncement cut me to the quick. I was in possession of older technology, blithely unaware that my MacBook Pro was yesterday’s news. The horror.

My sister-in-law purchased a shiny new better-than-mine iPad Air and we headed home for her first lesson. Since MG was woefully unqualified to teach her how to use it, that task fell to me. Big Sis did so much better than MG at learning to use the iPad, it’s tough to believe they’re related.

I’m back home now, writing this post on my iPad 3. I wish I could say that I managed to get past my envy and new tech lust, but since I’m sitting here wishing I were writing this on an iPad Air2, we’d all know I was fibbing. I want an iPad Air2, and I want the new MacBook. Unfortunately, instant gratification is off the table. It’s already past my birthday and past Mother’s Day. If only Christmas wasn’t so dang far off. Drat, drat, drat!

I’m still using my almost 10-year-old laptop every day, for work and play. It still does everything I want it to do. (I do have a slightly-newer backup laptop. A wise woman once told me you can’t have too many computers.)

How about a present for 4th of July? Hey, it sounds good to me. It’s like I’m perfectly happy with my iPhone 5s, but then I see someone with the new 6 and think, well, that is rather cool. I’m sure the new laptop I bought in February became obsolete the minute it was shipped out to me. The curse of the 21st century.

You’re spot on, Lucy. The curse of the 21st century to be sure. I doubt I’ll be able to convince MG that The 4th of July is a gifting holiday.

Oh, my. I just remembered. MG and I have a wedding anniversary coming up in July. I never ask for a gift, just dinner out (to get out of cooking). I wonder if I can work the gift of a new MacBook in there somewhere. Maybe if I buy him a new golf club…